Useful Spanish grammar tip - wondering if this is correct!
Here's a useful Spanish grammar tip I just learned from an episode of Show Time Spanish. I guess to make this a question, someone could please validate or invalidate the accuracy of this tip? Thank you!
In English, there's an ambiguity that exists with the present perfect tense. If I were to begin a story by saying, "Raymundo has been sick for a very long time," it's unclear if Raymundo is still sick, or has since recovered. In Spanish, no such ambiguity exists.
Consider the following sentence: "He vivido en España durante tres años." In Spanish, the present perfect tense refers to completed actions that are not currently in progress. The sentence therefore means "I have lived in Spain for three years at some point during my life, but currently do not". If you want to say that you've been living in Spain for three years and continue to live there at this very moment, the present indicative tense must be used: "Vivo en España desde hace tres años." or "Hace tres años que vivo en España."
I hope this tip is useful!
3 Answers
In English, there's an ambiguity that exists with the present perfect tense. If I were to begin a story by saying, "Raymundo has been sick for a very long time," it's unclear if Raymundo is still sick, or has since recovered. In Spanish, no such ambiguity exists.
Since you asked us to validate your argument:
We use the present perfect to talk about something that began in the past but is still happening or unfinished: "I've had a headache for hours." (I still have a headache now!)
There is always a connection between the past and the present. This is why the present perfect is known as the "bridge tense".
And when explaining the present perfect tense in a thread once, Heidita pointedly explained to me that the present perfect tense in English and the pretérito perfecto compuesto or antepresente are not used in the same ways and shouldn't be compared with one another. For instance, in some parts of Spain the simple preterite past and the antepresente are regional usages. (have similar meanings)
The question about completed events for the present perfect is interesting. I didn't know that, so thanks for relaying that info. I have never observed this, and noone ever said anything... which might mean it isn't universally true.
As to the examples, a very common way to say "I have been living in Spain for 3 years" would be "Llevo viviendo tres años en España." This would imply that you still are living in Spain.
In English, there's an ambiguity that exists with the present perfect tense. If I were to begin a story by saying, "Raymundo has been sick for a very long time," it's unclear if Raymundo is still sick, or has since recovered. In Spanish, no such ambiguity exists.
I'm not a native English speaker but as far as I know (which is very little) when you say I've lived in Madrid for 5 years, it means you started living there in the past and you continue to live there in the present. Another way to express that is 'I've been living in Madrid for 5 years.
If you lived there in the past but you no longer do, then you can use the past tense with 'for'... I lived there for 5 years.
For the Spanish part.
In lesson 3.4 Paralee explains the use of 'hace' in a wonderful way.
Hace + simple present = how long it has been happening.
Hace + preterit = how long ago it happened.
The formula is ...
Hace + time period +que + simple present or preterit
or
Simple present or preterit + hace + time period ( no que)
Examples:
Cuezo este pavo hace 3 horas = I've been baking this turkey for 3 hours.
Cocí este pavo hace 3 horas = I baked this turkey 3 hours ago.
